Scratch a bar of soap before getting your hands dirty digging in the ground or handling oily car parts to avoid the dirty buildup that you would otherwise get under your fingernails. When you wash your hands after working, the soap will dissolve away.

This tip, from Real Simple, is targeted at gardeners who spend their day digging into the ground and end up with soil under their nails that's difficult to scrub out. It works just as well for those working with oil or grease, too. By replacing that dirt with soap, you have a natural dirt blocker that dissolves easily when it's clean-up time.

It's an interesting idea, but it still means you have to do your work with chunks of soap under your nails that could fall out. What do you think, over the top or a good idea? Sound off in the comments. Photo by Ross Elliott.